Friday, November 8, 2013

Demira of Atlantis

Demira is a character from Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Atlantis" books. She's a slave, a caste-less captive who has no status in Atlantean society except as a belonging of her priestly master. She has flaxen hair, pale skin, and almost colorless eyes (as Bradley describes her) which suggest she is an albino, although Bradley also describes her as from a far northern area which would mean she is pseudo-Scandinavian. In fantasy tales, people get to have "purer" and more extreme coloration or physical characteristics than in "real life." But occasionally in the crowded and highly international place I work, I have seen these "pure" or extreme types, all the way from frosty Nordics to ebony Africans (as fantasy language would describe them) and also the flame-haired types which are the standby of fantasy's lead characters. Working in this widely diverse environment causes me to secretly gaze at the various characters, memorizing them for my next fantasy portrait.